Potomac Panfried Shad Roe Recipes

SHAD ROE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet. While foaming is subsiding, lightly dredge roe in flour and shake off excess. Add roe and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Turn over, and brown on the other side. Remove the roe to a plate. If necessary add more butter to the skillet. Add ginger and saute for a moment. Add lemon juice and remove from heat; season with salt and pepper, add parsley or chives and spoon over shad. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

SHAD ROE PAN FRIED WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge roe in seasoned flour. In a saute pan over medium heat, heat oil until hot. Add roe to pan and cook top side (side without vein) until well browned. Reduce heat, turn roe over, and continue to cook on second side until well browned and almost firm. Cover pan slightly to avoid dangerous splattering. Remove roe and blot on paper. Return saute pan to heat. Add butter, let melt, and cook until brown. Add lemon juice, allow to sizzle, and add chopped parsley. Plate roe and drizzle lemon butter over top. Serve smoked bacon on top of roe.;

GEORGIA SHAD AND SHAD ROE

Steps:

• Dip shad fillets in mixture of flour, salt and pepper.
• Heat clarified butter and olive oil in a skillet and over low heat slowly cook the shad roe, which has been pricked in a few places. Cook only until it is brown on the outside but pink inside, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside; keep warm.
• Raise heat and saute shad quickly. Remove and set aside. Keep warm.
• Add the chicken stock, wine and lemon to pan and cook quickly over high heat to reduce by half.
• Return roe to pan. Heat through.
• Arrange shad on heated platter with roe. Pour most of sauce from pan and a little over the shad.

SHAD ROE POACHED IN BUTTER

Steps:

• Gently pull the sacs away from each other, and the membrane attaching them will come apart. Snip any pieces of membrane that do not break easily with kitchen scissors. Take care not to tear the sacs. Run them under cool water, and pat them dry.
• To know how much butter to poach the roe in, place the sacs in a straight-sided frying pan or saucepan just large enough to hold them in one layer. Add water to halfway up the sides of the sacs. Drain water off into a measuring cup. The level of water in the measuring cup is the level that the melted butter to cook the roe should reach. (In poaching pike or striped bass roe, the water should almost cover it. Both of those puff up in cooking, so they will need more butter.)
• Remove the roe from the pan, and wipe the pan dry. Place the melted butter in the pan over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling, carefully slip the roe into the pan in one layer. Return to a boil.
• Cook over medium heat for 1 minute to firm up the roe. Turn the heat to low (bubbles should be breaking the surface, but not vigorously). Cook for 2 minutes. Gently move each piece to assure that it does not stick. Continue to cook 4 minutes more (5 minutes more for the bass, 27 minutes more for the pike). Carefully flip each piece. Cook for 3 minutes, moving roe gently so that it does not stick. Continue to cook until the roe sacs have changed color and are opaque all the way through, 4 minutes for the shad, 5 minutes for the bass and 27 minutes for the pike. Move the pike occasionally to keep it from sticking.

FRIED SHAD ROE

Steps:

• Place shad roe in saucepan and cover with water to which salt and vinegar have been added.
• Simmer 20 minutes; drain and cover with cold water for five minutes.
• Drain again; sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in flour and fry in hot deep fat (375F) until golden brown.

SHAD ROE WITH MUSTARD

Steps:

• Heat an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for a minute or two, then add the butter. When it melts, gently lay the shad roe in the pan and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the underside is lightly browned.
• Turn very gently-a large spatula is best for this-and season the cooked side. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, again until the underside is lightly browned. By this time the roe should be quite firm to the touch; if it is still soft, cover the pan and cook for another minute or two, then cut into it to check. When done, the center will be red and the area surrounding it pink.
• Transfer the roe to a warm plate. Add the mustard and 1/4 cup of water to the pan; stir. Raise the heat to high and stir the sauce with a wooden spoon until smooth and thick. Spoon over the roe, garnish if you like, and serve immediately.
• Shad Roe with Capers and Vinegar: In step 3, omit the mustard. Instead, stir in 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until blended and the liquid is reduced by about half. Spoon over the roe, garnish, and serve.
• Shad Roe with Bacon: Omit the butter. Begin by cooking 4 thick slices good-quality bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is done; remove the bacon and keep warm. Cook the shad roe in the bacon fat, exactly as directed. Serve the shad roe and bacon with lemon wedges, garnished with fresh parsley.

SHAD AND SHAD ROE WITH LEMON SHALLOT BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the shad fillets in half crosswise. Season the fillets and roe with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of two nonstick skillets and add the fillets skin side down in one pan. In the other pan add the roe and cook both over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking the pans. Then turn the fillets and roe and cook for 3 minutes more. (It is a good idea to cover the pan with the roe while cooking to prevent splattering.)
• Remove the fish with a slotted spatula to a warm serving plate or platter. Separate each pair of roe lengthwise. Place a half on top of each piece of shad.
• In one of the skillets, add the butter and shallots. Cook and stir until wilted.
• Add the lemon juice and the parsley. Cook briefly while stirring, and then pour the mixture over the fish and serve.

POTOMAC PANFRIED SHAD ROE

Steps:

• Cook bacon in cast iron or other heavy bottomed pan until crispy. Place in 200 degree F oven.
• Leave about 2 T bacon grease in pan & keep hot from cooking bacon.
• Separate roe pair trying not to puncture roe casing (Cut connecting tissue).
• Cook roe in casing like a sausage in bacon grease over low-medium heat until casing feels taut like a sausage, about 2-3 minutes, turning once. Grease needs to be hot enough for the roe to sizzle when placed in it but not wild splattering. If heat is too hot the casing can pop (this is messy & painful to the cook).Try not to pierce casing when turning as the tiny eggs will extrude.
• Remove from pan & place roe with bacon on paper towel or paper bag in oven.
• Turn up heat in pan & scramble your eggs, toast your tost & serve all with coffee.